28 February 2012

Changes to MDNA tracklist, new song Best Friend

Fansite MadonnaTribe brings us the following news on changes made to the MDNA tracklist.

The MDNA tracklisting welcomes a track called Best Friend, a brand new song co-produced by Benny Benassi. It will be exclusive to the Deluxe Edition of the new record.

The Standard edition is confirmed to include 12 tracks.

The Deluxe Edition is confirmed to have 17 tracks: the 12 tracks from the Standard Edition, plus 4 more new songs and the "Party Rock Remix" of Give Me All Your Luvin'.

The physical release of the MDNA Deluxe Edition will be a 2 CD set. Disc One will be the same of the Standard edition, and the bonus tracks will be available on Disc Two.

Overall, 6 songs in the new album are produced by William Orbit, and 6 tracks are signed by Martin Solveig. Benny and Alle Benassi were known as the contributors of two songs, but Best Friend brings their share up to 3.

There have been small tweaks in both the song titles and the tracklist, the latter does not appear exactly as the one listed in the pre-order page on iTunes. Girl Gone Wild is now listed with the new title, but more importantly there has been a swap between two songs in the Standard and Deluxe edition.

B-day Song will now be exclusive to the Deluxe Edition. Please note that the song does include a featuring by M.I.A..

On the other hand, Love Spent leaves the tracklist of the Deluxe Edition to join that of the Standard release. This also means that all the Orbit-signed tracks are featured in the Standard CD.

The tracklist is still considered subject to change as manufacturing of the physical release has not started yet, leaving a window open to last minute changes.

28 February 2012

Madonna didn't change Girls Gone Wild 'cause of Joe Whatshisname

Madonna did NOT change the name of Girls Gone Wild because of threats from "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis -- this according to her manager, Guy Oseary .

Oseary tells TMZ ... he found it laughable that Francis claimed victory after allegedly sending Madonna a cease and desist letter, ordering her not to perform her single Girls Gone Wild at the Super Bowl. In fact, Oseary says no one from team Madonna ever received the letter.

As for Madonna changing the name of the song to Girl Gone Wild, Oseary says they've been tweaking the album for weeks, and decided to make the word "Girl" singular because that's the way Madonna sings it in the song.

Oseary says they have tweaked other titles on the album as well.

And Oseary scoffs at Francis' claim that he owns the title, "Girls Gone Wild," citing a Billboard story that claims there are 50 records called "Girls Gone Wild," including songs by Ludacris, Jagged Edge, T Mills, Lee Kernaghan, Lil Rick and Jackie Kashian.

And finally, Oseary says Madonna doesn't even know who Joe Francis is ... and claims she's completely unaware he's been making threats.

28 February 2012

Celebs at Madonna's Oscar after-party

After last year's Oscars, Demi Moore co-hosted Madonna and Guy Oseary's annual after-party. But this time around, the “Margin Call” star was sidelined by rehab at an undisclosed facility. That didn't stop her ex, Ashton Kutcher , from kicking up his heels at Madge's bash till the wee hours. The “Two and a Half Men” playboy partied at Oseary's Coldwater Canyon mansion till after 4:30 a.m., spies said. Also there were Leonardo DiCaprio, W.E. star Abbie Cornish, Michelle Williams, Salma Hayek-Pinault, Heidi Klum, Emma Stone, Mila Kunis, Sandra Bullock and Jonah Hill. The Material Girl's dancers got the party started by getting down on the dance floor.

28 February 2012

More second shows added

A devoted Icon pre-sale will start for each of them at 10am local time on February 28 (pre-sales week #4).

Meanwhile, Flash Entertainment announced a second show in Abu Dhabi on June 4. Yesterday, the first show sold out in less than 30 minutes.

"Following a record sell-out of her Abu Dhabi show on June 3rd and after a series of one-day sellouts in many of the major markets of Madonna's tour a second and final concert - June 4th at the Yas Arena, Yas Island has been confirmed and will go on sale next Monday, March 5th, at midday from www.thinkflash.ae and select Virgin Megastore outlets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi (Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall and Abu Dhabi Mall)."

Billboard review: 'No-nonsense electro-pop'

In the world according to this single, girls just want to have some fun, and "get fired up like a smoking gun"; Madonna, for her part, realizes that she "shouldn't act this way" and that "good girls don't misbehave," but fortunately for her, she is a "bad girl anyway, hey!" While Give Me All Your Luvin' featured a call-and-response structure and cameos by Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., Girl Gone Wild is no-nonsense electro-pop, with a driving beat and propulsive hook that recalls Madge's 2005 single Hung Up.

Last week, Ultra Music's Patrick Moxey filled in Billboard.com on the origin of the song, which was helmed by dance music superstar Benny Benassi and his production partner/cousin, Ale Benassi, and written by Vancouver native Jenson Vaughan. The Benassi boys recorded the track with Madonna in London, and Moxey says, ""She loved them… Benny is such a quality person; I think that made it all flow so much easier."

Along with Luvin', Girl Gone Wild previews Madonna's 12th studio album, which follows 2008's Hard Candy and will hit stores on March 26. Along with the Benassi boys, MDNA will feature production from Martin Solveig and longtime collaborator William Orbit.

Give Me All Your Luvin', which Madonna performed during the Super Bowl halftime show earlier this month, dropped to No. 39 on last week's Hot 100 after climbing into the Top 10 the week before. Luvin', Girl Gone Wild and many more MDNA cuts will accompany Madonna on her massive 2012 world tour, which kicks off on May 29 in Israel and heads to North America in August.

27 February 2012

MTV review: 'Pumping out dance-floor anthems'

Pop icon's inner dance-floor vixen comes out on second MDNA single.

Madonna kicked the party off with Give Me All Your Luvin', and she's keeping it going with her second MDNA single, Girl Gone Wild. The thumping song, released Monday (February 27), proves that this era of Madonna will certainly be focused on pumping out dance-floor anthems.

Girl Gone Wild is all about the heat of letting loose and dancing, certainly themes that Madge fans will find familiar. Produced by Benny Benassi, the track, though fun and funky, is a bit darker than her first single, which seemed to pay homage to the '80s version of the pop icon in its bright nature.

"I got that burnin' hot desire/ And no one can put out my fire/ It's coming right down through the wire/ Here it comes/ When I hear them 808 drums/ It's got me singing," she proclaims on the catchy, sing-along chorus. "Hey, ey, ey, ey/ Like a girl gone wild/ A good girl gone wild/ I'm like, hey, ey, ey, ey/ Like a girl gone wild/ A good girl gone wild."

The song chugs along thanks to more dance-floor confessions from the singer, which include, "The room is spinning/ It must be the Tanqueray/ I'm about to go astray/ My inhibition's gone away/ I feel like sinning/ You got me in the zone/ DJ play my favorite song/ Turn me on."

The video was shot earlier this month and was directed by fashion photographers Mert and Marcus, who also shot the colorful artwork for the album. It had been rumored that Britney Spears would be featured on the track, but that rumor was shot down by Madonna herself.

MDNA will drop on March 26. It features production from collaborators like Martin Solveig and William Orbit, Demolition Crew, Alessandro "Alle" Benassi, Hardy "Indiigo" Muanza and Michael Malih.

27 February 2012

Girl Gone Wild lyric video premieres

It's reported to be the radio edit of the single. Very reminiscent of Benny's own Celebration remix of 2009, the track features lyrical nods to some of Madonna's old songs, and to the classic 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun', made famous by Cyndi Lauper. The actual music video has been shot but the premiere date is unknown yet. Read the lyrics here.

27 February 2012

Abu Dhabi show sells out in 30 minutes

Dubai: That's it. All 22,000 tickets to see Madonna perform at Yas Arena, Abu Dhabi, on June 3 sold out on Monday, according to organisers Flash Entertainment.

“The Abu Dhabi show marks the first time Madonna has performed in this region. We knew from the day we announced the show that tickets were sure to sell out extremely quickly. Her fan reaction has been overwhelming and with immediate sell out, Madonna's show in Abu Dhabi now holds the record for the most popular event we have ever staged,” a spokesman for Flash said.

Madonna fans queued up on Monday morning to buy tickets for her UAE debut concert and cheered as counters opened at exactly midday as promised at Virgin Megastore outlets in Mall of the Emirates and The Dubai Mall on Monday.

At Mall of the Emirates, bean bags and chairs were laid out for those who came early. Charmaine Borg, first in line, said she came to the mall at 7.30am for the midday sale start.

Marton Broetel, a visitor from Germany, said it was his birthday on Monday and that he was treating himself to Madonna tickets.

“I need to do some budget planning with airline tickets and all but Madonna is worth it,” he said.

Shylla Sandava said she took the day off from work to stand in line. “I tried to buy tickets at the pre-sale but it didn't work out. I didn't want to take any more chances so here I am,” she said.

Each customer was allowed to purchase eight tickets each.

At the Virgin Megastore outlet in The Dubai Mall, staff were trying to lighten things up as people queued up and Madonna's tracks played loudly in the background.

Honelyn Igle, 31, a Dubai resident since 2007, was the first out with her two tickets. She said she had been at the store since 9am.

“It wasn't as crazy as I expected but I wasn't taking any chances,” she said.

One happy customer, who bought eight General Admission tickets for Dh495 each, said he was planning to sell them for double later.

Meanwhile, some fans who were waiting to purchase tickets online at thinkflash.ae had to wait in a virtual queue for about 30 minutes before gaining access.

Organiser Flash Entertainment had previously announced that only 22,000 tickets will go on sale for the Madonna concert, only her second stop in the World Tour to promote her 12th studio album, MDNA, out March 26. The first phase of the tour will cover multiple cities in Asia, North America and Europe.

23 February 2012

Weinstein Company brings W.E. to Netflix

The Weinstein Company is helping Netflix compete with pay cable channels. Today the two companies announced a deal that "will make foreign language, documentary and certain other movies from The Weinstein Company exclusively
available for Netflix members in the U.S. to watch instantly."

In other words, when films like Oscar frontrunner The Artist, Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus and Madonna's W.E. make their TV debut, it won't be on HBO or similar channel, but on the Netflix Watch Instantly service.
This deal doesn't cover the full Netflix slate, and could well have taken place because TWC's own research shows that a movie like The Artist is likely to do better with the Netflix subscriber base than it is on cable.
Still, the end result is that this is a blow to cable company deals. Will other similar contracts between studios and Netflix follow?

23 February 2012

MDNA gets remastered for iTunes

In an effort to provide higher quality audio recordings, Universal Music Group is focusing on fidelity with several new releases.

Universal Music Group has been among the industry leaders when it comes to higher sound quality and today the company announced a bold initiative wherein albums by Madonna, Paul McCartney, Kaori Muraji, U2, John Coltrane and Bon Jovi will be mastered specifically for iTunes.

These new recordings, which include new releases like Madonna's forthcoming MDNA and Paul McCartney's Kisses On The Bottom, along with such classics as U2's Achtung Baby , John Coltrane's A Love Supreme and Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet, utilize high-resolution sourced audio to provide a richness and dynamic range to iTunes' digital format.

Said Japanese artist Muraji in a statement: "I really enjoyed making my recording Soleil - Portraits 2 in Air Studios which was built by George Martin in London. It has wonderful acoustics and a nice atmosphere which you can now hear even better on this high-quality audio version with iTunes."

23 February 2012

Drag queen re-creates entire Madonna Super Bowl halftime show

The bootstrap brilliance alone dicates a look at the video that accompanies the above photo: a performance of Madonna's entire Super Bowl halftime show featuring not just a Material Girl impersonator, but also LMFAO, Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. cameos. (And, yes, the erstwhile M.I.A. does flip the bird at the crowd at the proper time.) Cee Lo Green makes an appearance at the end.

The extravaganza took place at Victoria Haus in Brasilia, Brazil, and features the drag queen Alexia Twister as Madonna, who over the course of 13-plus minutes -- and with the help of a few scrappy background dancers and a rear-projection screen casting images from the actual halftime show -- runs through all the vogue moves, cartwheels, booty bounces and miscellaneous ridiculousness within Madge's performance.

23 February 2012

Madonna poked fun at Lmfao's weakness

Madonna poked fun at Lmfao star Stefan 'REDFOO' GORDY during their Super Bowl rehearsals - because he struggled to lift the pop superstar.

The Sexy and I Know It hitmaker and bandmate Sky Blu joined Madonna onstage at the Super Bowl half-time show in Indianapolis earlier this month (Feb12) and their performance was flawless - but he admits he almost let the Material Girl down during one sequence.

He tells Rolling Stone, "In rehearsal, she said, 'If you were working out more, you could life me a little easier'. Her biceps were way more cut up than mine. She was like, 'Get a jump rope!'"

22 February 2012

Martin Solveig: "Madonna was very gentle with William. With me, she was more harsh and direct"

Thanks to fansite Madonnarama for sharing some excerpts from the interview between RTL journalist Steven Bellery and MDNA producer Martin Solveig.

At first, Madonna only hired you for one track…
MARTIN SOLVEIG: Yes. About ten different producers were contacted. Madonna wanted to work with two or three of them to keep a certain coherence in the album. We had a great connection and in the end we worked on six tracks.

Have you met William Orbit?
MARTIN SOLVEIG: It was a pretty crazy encounter. We laughed a lot in the studio. At one time, we were working together. He in his own studio, I was in mine, but in the same building. Madonna went from one room to the other. We exchanged a lot.
We're quite the opposite, William and I… in everything…
William is English, I'm French. He's tall, I'm small. He's very messy, I'm quite organised.
Madonna's the opposite of the producer she's working with.
She was very gentle with him. With me, she was more harsh and direct.
She's somebody who pushes people and I think that she allows them to give it their best.

Did she ask you something specific? Did she give you any guidelines?
MARTIN SOLVEIG: She wanted to smile.
With William [Orbit] she was more introspective. To me, she said: “When people listen to your songs, I want them to smile. It's what I like in your work. In general, when listening to your songs, it's positive.”
She thinks it's something that's currently missing today and people need that.

Could the leak of Give me all your Luvin' have consequences on the release of MDNA?
MARTIN SOLVEIG: If the full album would have leaked, it would have made her rethink the whole project… the album, a new tour. I'm quite sure about that.
She really wants to come back for her fans. When you work so hard, you don't want unfinished versions to leak on the internet.
I think she was really dissapointed and a bit hurt…

Is she generous in her business deals?
MARTIN SOLVEIG: Yes! She's very genereous on the copyright and credits. She's very fair. I would have done it for free any way (laughs).
And if it needs to be redone, I'll do it immediately…

If Madonna asks you to play a DJ set at the Stade de France on July 14th, would you say yes?
MARTIN SOLVEIG: I can't confirm this at the moment… But there's a big chance that I won't be far from the field that day… (laughs)

21 February 2012

How Madonna's Second 'MDNA' Single 'Girls Gone Wild' Came Together

Girls Gone Wild, the second single from Madonna's MDNA, was born from the remote union of two Italian producers and a Canadian writer, all signed to Patrick Moxey's Ultra Music.

"Obviously it's huge for us," Moxey tells Billboard.com. "We have both the producer and the top-line writer; that's 100% share."

The mid-tempo, four-on-the-floor party track is a tougher take on the style of Madge's 2005 effort, Confessions On A Dancefloor, produced by Stuart Price: It's undeniably dance, but with stronger electro than house markings. (MDNA in totality will probably be more diverse, featuring the production of disco house champion Martin Solveig on four tracks, and the darker, trance-ier William Orbit on five.)

Moxey traces the song's beginning back to early 2011, when Ultra Records artist Benny Benassi was preparing to release "Electroman," his fourth studio album. Moxey thought his aggressive style would "work well with some of the major American superstar artists," so he requested additional tracks from Benny and his longtime production partner, Ale (Alejandro) Benassi, also his cousin.

Benassi is best known for single "Satisfaction," a robotic take on the Rolling Stones original, which snagged a high-profile Wendy's synch back in 2003. Since then, he's made his mark with a hard-hitting electro-focused singles and DJ sets that nonetheless mesh with different genres, snagging a "Best Remix" Grammy in 2008 for Public Enemy's "Bring The Noise." (Skrillex just took the same award this year for his take on "Cinema," a Benassi original.)

Moxey selected a few tracks and shared them with Jenson Vaughan, a young top-line writer based in Vancouver. Vaughan had done extensive work with U.K. producer Ian Carey, on collaborations with artists like Timbaland, Kelly Rowland and Snoop Dogg. "I was really attracted to his lyrics," says Moxey, "and I feel Benassi in my bones, because those bass-driven tracks are so inspiring. It's a bit like cooking, like, 'Ooh, what would this sound like together?'"

Vaughan returned a demo just a week later, which Moxey shared with Benassi's European co-manager Paul Sears, who in turn sent it to Guy Oseary, Madonna's manager. Soon, the Benassi boys were on their way to London (from their home of Parma, Italy) to record with Madonna. "She loved them," reports Moxey. "Benny is such a quality person; I think that made it all flow so much easier."

"A brilliant way to have hits is to create hits," says Moxey. "When you have very talented people around you, you just make the introductions, and maybe give them some direction. It's the essence of the A&R process, but it's so natural -- it's not contrived."

Looking toward the release of the GGW video, Moxey says he isn't concerned with a reported lawsuit from Joe Francis, creator of the 'Girls Gone Wild' series of co-ed flasher videos. "When I looked at ASCAP, I noticed there were approximately 50 records called 'Girls Gone Wild,'" he says. "This guy just thinks too much of himself."

21 February 2012

Tour date added for Pittsburgh

Madonna.com has announced the addition of a new tour date in North America: Madonna will perform at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh on November 6th. While public sales starts on February 27th at 10am local time, ICON members can already order tickets through pre-sales right now.

Prices for the Pittsburgh show will range between US $45 and US $355. Check the floorplan here.

20 February 2012

Info on Istanbul and Moscow ticket sales

More info is now available for two of the shows included in Madonna's 2012 World Tour schedule:

Tickets to the June 7th show in Istanbul will be on sale February 24, with a devoted fan club pre-sale starting February 21 at 10am local time (pre-sale week #3).

Tickets to the August 7th show in Moscow will be on sale March 1st and a devoted fan club pre-sale will start at 10am local time on February 27 (pre-sale week #4).

Tomorrow starts the 3rd week of ICON pre-sales. At 10am local time, Legacy members and Live Pass holders can buy tickets for the shows of Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, Vienna, Zurich, Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston and St. Paul.

We also have public sales for the second shows of New York City, Washington DC and Seattle, starting tomorrow at 10am local time.

20 February 2012

Madonna and dancers party at Mister H in Soho

Clubgoers at Mister H at Mondrian SoHo Friday night knew someone important was arriving when security roped off a large section of the downtown hot spot. Within minutes, Madonna arrived, looking fresh faced, dressed casually in all black and donning a black-rimmed hat. She was accompanied by 20 of her dancers, all escorted by staff to tables in her private area. But Madonna was not happy to find out her entourage had taken over a large chunk of the dance floor.

A spy told us, “When Madonna realized her private area cut off a majority of the dance floor, she was seen chatting with security and asked them to give her crew a smaller space so everyone in the club would be able to have a place to dance.”

The spy added, “Madonna was sitting down, watching, as her dancers took to the floor to show off their skills. But when the DJ began to play Whitney Houston's ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody,' Madonna perked up and started lip-syncing the words.”

20 February 2012

Details of 'Girls Gone Wild' video revealed

Though it's only been a month since the release of her first single Give Me All Your Luvin', Madonna didn't waste time to move on to her next single. Her manager Guy Oseary confirms on Twitter that they are going to be "shooting Girls Gone Wild video this coming week...."

Oseary additionally revealed who's going to serve behind the lens for the video project. "The directors for Girls Gone Wild video are Mert and Marcus...," he tweeted before informing his followers that "they also photographed MDNA album..."

In addition to helping Madge create artworks for her upcoming album, Mert and Marcus were also the ones who worked with her in a photoshoot for Interview magazine. Oseary wrote, "I believe this would be their first video shoot... #girlsgonewildvideo."

In another news, it's reported that Madonna will be joined by her teen daughter, Lourdes, when she hits the road later this year. "There are risque dancers and some blatantly sexual dance routines - but Madonna is really excited about Lourdes making an appearance," a source said.

18 February 2012

Much 'Love' and 'Luv' on Billboard

MUCH 'LOVE' (AND 'LUV'): Just as they did during the '80s and '90s, Whitney Houston and Madonna again share space in the Billboard Hot 100's top 10.

With late legend Houston's "I Will Always Love You" returning to the tally at No. 7 and Madonna's Give Me All Your Luvin', featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., rising 13-10, Houston and Madonna concurrently rank in the top 10 for the first time in more than 16 years.

The pair last charted in the top tier together the week of Jan. 27, 1996, when Houston's former No. 1 "Exhale (Shoop, Shoop)" held at No. 2 (for the ninth of its 11 frames at the runner-up spot after its lone week at the summit) and Madonna's You'll See rebounded 10-8 after peaking at No. 6.

Over their iconic careers, the twosome held court in the top 10 together with multiple sets of prior hits.

In fact, the week of Houston's first top 10 appearance - July 6, 1985 - when "You Give Good Love" rose 13-7, Madonna ranked at No. 10 with Angel (5-10). In a harbinger of their future pop culture impact, the then-budding superstars were the only solo women in the top 10 that frame, although Eurythmics' "Would I Lie to You?" (No. 6) and 'til Tuesday's "Voices Carry" (No. 9) each featured female lead singers (Annie Lennox and Aimee Mann, respectively).

Coincidentally, in both their first week in the top 10 together and their latest, Houston placed at No. 7 and Madonna, No. 10.

POWER OF TWO: Two additional Hot 100 chart weeks serve as an even shinier reflection of the divas' dominance when their singles releases were automatic, surefire hits.

On the May 24 and 31, 1986, chart weeks, Houston's "Greatest Love of All" and Madonna's Live To Tell ranked at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. The frames mark the only weeks that the pair claimed the Hot 100's top two spots.

(Houston graciously stepped aside the following week (June 7), as "Love" dipped to No. 3 and Tell took over at No. 1).

That "Love" ranks on this week's Hot 100, re-entering at No. 41, clearly reinforces the timelessness of the song - and Houston's everlasting appeal.

'LIKE' NEW: There's more luvin' for Her Madgesty this week, as her classic Like A Prayer enters Digital Songs at No. 38. After she performed it as part of her Super Bowl halftime extravaganza Feb. 5, it surges by 172% to 49,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The track debuted on the Hot 100 - also at No. 38 - the week of March 11, 1989. It went on to become the seventh of Madonna's 12 No. 1s five weeks later.

MORE MATERIAL: The "Glee" cast augments Madonna's momentous week, as it returns her La Isla Bonita - the new version features Ricky Martin - to the Hot 100 at No. 99. The original rose to No. 4 25 years ago.

While the pairing of Martin with a Madonna-written track marks their first Hot 100 collaboration, it's not their first musical alliance. The artists duetted on the ballad Be Careful, an album cut on Martin's breakthrough eponymous 1999 album. Madonna wrote the track with William Orbit, who had worked her with on her 1998 album Ray Of Light.

The "Glee" cast also bows at No. 81 on the Hot 100 with its cover of LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It," also featuring Martin. The song marks the troupe's 58th charted remake of a former No. 1.

17 February 2012

Madonna crowned 'Greatest' Woman In Music

Madonna is already dubbed the Queen of Pop, so fans of the iconic singer probably aren't surprised that she tops VH1's "100 Greatest Women in Music" list.

The network's weeklong countdown wraps up Friday and features the greatest female artists of the last 20 years (those who have released music from 1990 to today). The list includes the likes of P.J. Harvey, Sheryl Crow, the Spice Girls, Miley Cyrus, Cher, Aaliyah, Ke$ha, Florence and the Machine, Liz Phair, M.I.A. and the White Stripes drummer Meg White, to name a few.

As the countdown comes to a close, it seems that Madonna is the only lady who can top the list. Also making the top 10 are Pink, Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Adele, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Mariah Carey, who landed at #2 on the list.

Britney Spears narrowly missed the top 10, landing at #11. The other girls in the top 20 are Rihanna (who just made it at #20), Kelly Clarkson, Missy Elliott, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, Alanis Morissette, Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani and TLC.

The nod for Madge comes just as she's about to release her next studio album, MDNA.

The album will hit shelves in March. "I think the majority of the record is more action-packed. More high-energy," she teased about the release to MTV News back in January . She worked with a number of producers on the LP, including her Give Me All Your Luvin' producer Martin Solveig, as well as her longtime collaborator William Orbit.

"We've worked on stuff for so many years that we kind of finish each other's sentences. He knows my taste and what I like," she said about Orbit, who also worked with her on Ray of Light. "Magic happens when we get into a recording studio together."

16 February 2012

Warner presents Studio Album collection

When Madonna and Warner Music parted ways, there was one certainty. Sooner or later, Warner would try to cash in on her extensive back catalogue, which they hold the distribution rights to. Although "cash in" might be an exageration in this day and age, where a vast majority no longer buys his music.

Now available on Amazon, the box collection Madonna - Ultimate Studio Albums, featuring the 11 studio albums that were released between 1983 and 2008. The first 3 albums come in their remastered version. The discs are wrapped in paper sleeves, to keep the box compact.

So who exactly does Warner target with this box collection? Every Madonna fan already has most, if not all of Madonna's studio albums, which come in their nice original CD-box, not cheap paper sleeves. Of course there will not be any new material, since Madonna herself has not been involved in this box release. And finally, the box cover is not very imaginative, just featuring the 11 album covers... twice. Targeted at the general audience then? Won't they rather buy Celebration instead of shelling out $62,80 on this box?

16 February 2012

Listen to official Luvin' remixes

While we eagerly wait for the release of the MDNA album, we can now still our hunger a bit with 4 official remixes of the single Give Me All Your Luvin'. On the website PopOnAndOn
you can hear the remixes by Sultan & Ned Shepherd, Oliver Twizt, Nicky Romero, and Laidback Luke. Tell us your favourite!

16 February 2012

Madonna scores record-extending 38th Hot 100 Top 10

Almost 30 years after her arrival on Billboard's charts, Madonna continues to feel L-U-V from her fans. On this week's Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, her latest single, Give Me All Your Luvin', featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., bounds 13-10 in its second chart week.

The first single from Madonna's 12th studio album, MDNA, due March 26 (which sports an "L-U-V, Madonna!" cheerleader chant), becomes her 38th Hot 100 top 10, pushing her further ahead of runners-up the Beatles (34).

Madonna first reached the chart's top tier the week of June 16, 1984, when Borderline rose to its No. 10 peak. She had last ranked in the region with 4 Minutes, featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, the week of June 28, 2008.

Here is a look at the artists with the most top 10 songs in the Hot 100's 53-year history:

As previously reported, Luvin' jumps 7-6 on the Digital Songs survey with 165,000 downloads sold (up 44%) in the list's tracking week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The period encompassed the first full week following Madonna's performance of the song at Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis (Feb. 5).

The track, slides, however, 28-59 on the Radio Songs chart (20 million audience impressions, down 54%, according to Nielsen BDS). Luvin' had benefitted last week from special promotion on Clear Channel Media and Entertainment's more than 50 monitored pop stations, which played it at the top of every hour from Friday, Feb. 3, at 9 a.m. ET until the big game's kickoff.

14 February 2012

2nd shows for NYC, Washington DC & Berlin

The Madonna 2012 World Tour is the party of the year, and everyone around the world is invited. Following sold out shows in New York, Washington DC, Amsterdam and Berlin, we are pleased to announce that second shows have been added to these fantastic cities! Icon ticket pre-sales begin today, February 14 @ 10am local times. Lifetime Legacy members are all set with their pre-sale access.

13 February 2012

2nd show added in Chicago

A second show in Chicago (September 20, 2012) has just been added to the 2012 World Tour schedule and public on-sale for this new show started along with the September 19 one.

A devoted Icon pre-sale is now available but please note that we have a very limited allotment for this show, so we will observe special rules as follows:

Legacy and Live Pass Members have access to the Icon ticket sale at once.There is a 2-ticket limit per code.Remember, tickets are offered on a first-come first served basis. Due to demand, our allotment is expected to go quickly.This special ticket sale ends tonight @ 10pm local time or when our fan club allotment is depleted.

11 February 2012

First Amsterdam show sold out, 2nd show announced for July 8

According to the website of Live Nation, the show in the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, The Netherlands is now sold out. A second show has been added in the same venue for July 8th. Tickets will go on sale on Feb. 18 at 10am CET.

10 February 2012

Madonna talks Super Bowl, M.I.A apology and new album with Carson Daly

The one and only Madonna called in this morning with our very own Carson Daly.

She talked about her epic Super Bowl half time performance, her feelings on the whole M.I.A middle finger debacle (and apology!) and of course her new album MDNA.

It's not every day that someone as incredible and iconic as Madonna calls into your radio show, and it's also not every day that they prove how amazing and humble they truly are, regardless of their status in the business.

Of course, Carson had to ask Madonna about M.I.A.'s controversial moment at the Super Bowl. Turns out, she didn't even realize what was going on until long after the halftime show ended.

I was up in the bleachers doing my pom pom routine. I was oblivious. In fact, I didn't really know about it until after I had come backstage and changed and came out to finish watching the football game… I was surprised, nobody knew about it. She surprised us all.

Once Madonna had realized what went down, of course she was disappointed, but she told Carson that she still supports M.I.A. and what she stands for:

I like her and you know I believe in people having individuality and I like her punk rock attitude. Actually I think she's really cool and that's why I asked her to be in my show and be on my record. But I didn't think that was the time or the place for it, to tell you the truth.

And if it wasn't clear enough already, Madonna reiterated that she was not a part of the whole debacle:

That's the unfortunate thing and we were really careful to be super honest and the NFL was super honest with us about what we could and couldn't do and I had no interest in rocking the boat or doing anything to offend anybody. We were all clear on that and it was a joyous evening…not the place for it. It felt like a negative note, you know what I mean?

Now that it's over and done with, Carson was curious if M.I.A. had apologized for the incident:

Yeah, yeah. She has. I know she feels bad…I accept her apology, but you know, I think she still has her head in the sand right now. I'm not sure.

She also talks about how exciting it was to perform at such an incredible event:

It was an overwhelming experience. I've never played in the round like that before in the middle of the stadium and so I was worried about that and also it was on NFL turf. I didn't know how people were going to respond and it was just crazy. I think it was the best time I've ever had on stage.

To listen to the full interview, click on the audio above to hear what else Madonna had to share about her new album MDNA and Golden Globe-winning film, W.E.

10 February 2012

Madonna announces Girls Gone Wild as second MDNA single

Madonna gave an interview to Ryan Seacrest on KIIS FM and among other things, she announced that the second single of MDNA is going to be the Benny Benassi collaboration Girls Gone Wild. She debunked the rumours about Britney Spears featuring on the track.

She also revealed that the album is uptempo but it includes 3 ballads, "something for everyone" (we assume she means the 12-track version).

When asked if the gladiator theme of Superbowl would be carried over to the tour, she answered no and that she wouldn't want to repeat herself. The audition for dancers will be held next week, she will shoot the video of the second single after that, and then the tour rehearsals start.

10 February 2012

Second Toronto date added

The response to Madonna's 2012 World Tour has been incredible!
The Tour has just announced that a second Toronto date has been added for September 13,
and the Icon exclusive pre-sale begins today, Friday, February 10 @ 10am ET!

10 February 2012

Madonna now, war later, pleads Israeli fan

JERUSALEM — “Please don't stop the music!” That's the plea of one Israeli fan of Madonna who has set up a Facebook group calling for Israel to delay until what some fear will be an attack on Iran until after the diva performs here in May.

“Bibi! No war with Iran until after Madonna's performance on May 29,” the anonymous enthusiast pleads in Hebrew in the newly created group, using a popular nickname for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Music icon Madonna is set to kick off her hotly anticipated 2012 world tour in Israel in May, with local media reporting she will arrive weeks before the performance to rehearse.

Speculation is building about a possible Israeli attack against Iran's nuclear programme.

Tehran denies the charges, but Israel believes Iran could reach the point of obtaining nuclear weapons this autumn, and is considering a military strike in spring or summer to prevent such a capability.

10 February 2012

Madonna stalker escapes from mental hospital

A man convicted of stalking singer Madonna, and who once threatened to knife her, has escaped from a southern California mental hospital and is being sought by police.

Robert Dewey Hoskins, 54, walked away from Metropolitan State Hospital in the Los Angeles suburb of Norwalk on February 3, police said.

Hoskins had served a 10-year prison sentence for stalking the "Material Girl," police said.

"Hoskins is highly psychotic when not taking his medication and has very violent tendencies," Los Angeles police said in a statement. "The public is being warned to notify police immediately if he is found, and to not engage him on their own."

Hoskins may have taken a bus to the Long Beach area. Police said they searched in those areas, but have not found him.

He stalked Madonna all over California in the early 90s, CNN affiliate KCAL reported. He threatened to cut her from "ear to ear" if she did not marry him, the affiliate reported.

He was arrested in 1995 and the next year at his trial, Madonna testified that Hoskins repeatedly scaled the fence of her home and made her have nightmares, the affiliate reported.

09 February 2012

Floorplans for European tour dates

Check our tour page for all known tour dates with their sales and pre-sales dates. We have also added the floorplan for all European dates. Floorplans for Abu Dhabi and US are not yet available and will be added later.

Notice the difference between arenas and stadiums: arenas have the large catwalk with satellite stage, while stadiums don't... Would that mean that Madonna will work with two different sets of stages? Or have the floorplan sketchers just been lazy? We'll have to wait & see.

09 February 2012

Madonna's Record Breaking Numbers

NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2012 -- It's been a record breaking week for Madonna. Along with the largest halftime US viewership in Super Bowl history including Madonna's Bridgestone Halftime performance (peaking at 112.6 million viewers), the pre-orders for the Material Girl's upcoming MDNA album ascended to the top spot on iTunes stores in 50 countries and was the largest one day pre-order of any album in iTunes history, it was confirmed today by her record label Interscope. Commented Madonna, "Thanks for all the L-U-V!! from around the world."

A key part of the album release included a first of its kind worldwide promotion by Clear Channel, a leading global media and entertainment company, which premiered Madonna's highly anticipated new single and video, Give Me All Your Luvin', across its full range of media platforms, including radio, outdoor, online and mobile on Friday, February 3. As part of the campaign, Clear Channel used extensive on-air and online promotions to drive listeners and Madonna fans to iTunes, where they could buy the new single and pre-order MDNA, scheduled to be released globally March 26.

Below are some of the astounding numbers that add up for Madonna this past week.

50: Number 1's Pre-orders for Madonna's MDNA album on iTunes (biggest one day pre-order in iTunes history) hit the top spot at iTunes stores in 50 countries! 11,000,000 +: YouTube downloads of new Madonna video… and counting. The most searched subject on YouTube and Google during the Super Bowl. 13: Madonna's new single catapults to the #13 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart 56: Give Me All Your Luvin' marks Madonna's 56th appearance on the Hot 100 according to Billboard's Keith Caulfield 112.6 Million: Peak audience viewership during Madonna's halftime performance – largest in Super Bowl history – up 4 million from last year – surpasses Michael Jackson's 1993 halftime performance 47.1 Million: Households saw Madonna's Super Bowl Performance #6: Trending at No. 6 on European Airplay Charts #2: iTunes Single, jumped from previous spot 11 after the Super Bowl2500: Spins in less than 48 hours at Top 40 radio25: Give Me All Your Luvin' single's chart debut 51: Global Tour Dates Announced by Live Nation 1600: Clear Channel Digital Billboards Around the Globe aired Madonna's Give Me All Your Luvin'

08 February 2012

Madonna v Lady Gaga: How the Queen of Pop reclaimed her throne

For the last three years it has seemed as if The Queen of Pop was a title we only bestowed on Madonna as an affectionate courtesy for all the work she's put in, and that the real crown was actually now firmly on the head of Lady Gaga (when she isn't wearing a cup, some ham or a fascinator made out of beagles and moon rocks).

At the half-time of a sporting event we can't begin to fathom, Madonna changed the game.

Or more accurately, Madonna used the 2012 Super Bowl to remind everyone that the game is hers and that she is still the best pop star we've got, and any young pretender, no matter how ambitious/creative/deranged, is going to have to work a whole lot harder for a whole lot longer to even get near the ball.

Long gone are the days when the pop world was ruled by giants. Madonna, Michael Jackson and Prince once strode about the Earth performing vast, dazzling, theatrically thrilling, stadium-busting concerts other acts could only dream about (as their accountants pointed to the bank balance and shook their heads).

But such fripperies are now commonplace, expected and done on the cheap.

That was until Gaga decided it was a perfectly shrewd business move to lose money on a tour - such were her extravagant technical tastes.

Madonna takes it to 'a whole other level'

Yet while Gaga's gigs are a riot of high camp, gore and awe (recently revealed stage plans for the Born This Way tour suggest the action will take place in a castle), Madonna's Super Bowl show was on a whole other level.

We'd go so far as to call it her most inventive and impressive display since 1990's Blond Ambition concerts and the best use of a video floor since the Beijing Olympics.

Most importantly she made several million dollars worth of excessive, advertiser-attracting, attention-demanding spectacle look almost effortless and hugely entertaining. Did you clock that smile during Music?

Madonna genuinely looked to be having the time of her life up there with the hyper-real Nicki Minaj, M.I.A. and her naughty finger, the frat-buffoons LMFAO, the Reverend Cee Lo Green, Roman centurions, cheerleaders, marching bands, and... oh my, we had forgotten what we were missing.

Madonna makes pop fun; now we remember!

Because no matter how fascinating The Haus of Gaga's work is (and we're not bored yet, despite the media saturation), their creative director sure goes a long way to make it seem like a thankless task.

In her interviews she's always keen to stress just how much "hard work" goes into being this otherworldly superstar.

And while we appreciate the extra effort, her job is simply to make some nice pop records, wear daft clothes and emerge from an egg from time to time.

Gaga doesn't seem to enjoy herself

And yet we don't get the sense Ms Germanotta is actually enjoying herself from the über-serious and often incomprehensible way she discusses her art. To borrow a phrase from an old editor of ours, we don't want to hear the labour pains; we just want to see the baby.

The main difference between Madonna's approach to her work and Gaga's is that Ms Ciconne never makes it feel like a task. Being Madonna is always what Madonna has wanted to do, and it's what she does best. She positively revels in being Madonna. Or at least she used to before the marriage, religion and film directing made her boring.

The first sign that the fun, solipsistic Madonna was back came when she was overheard expressing her disgust at the flowers presented to her by a fan. It was the Madonna of In Bed With Madonna - hilariously callous and particular.

The second sign was when she responded to the media brouhaha about hydrangea-gate with a tongue-in-cheek video begging for absolution (once a Catholic...)

The third indicator that the Queen of Pop was returning to her throne was a literal one: her arrival onto the Super Bowl stage on a colossal, man-pulled chariot - fit for a Cecil B. DeMille directed Cleopatra.

These are good signs.

"What are you looking at?"

When Michael Jackson played the same show in 1993, he pulled off the illusion of darting from one side of the stadium to the other, as if to say, "You think you see me but you don't. I'm elusive. You can't pin me down". By contrast, Madonna's entrance was slow, stately and supremely confident. All eyes were on her as she drawled, "What are you looking at?"

It was the entrance of someone at ease with her self, her stardom and her sense of humour.

And no, we don't think Give Me All Your Luvin' (don't you just hate that spelling?) is going to trouble any 'best songs of all time' charts. Personally, we'd rank it as only our 59th favourite Madonna single, although we appreciate the Daphne & Celeste influence (we'll never forget you, girls).

And judging by the titles on her upcoming album MDNA (that joke isn't funny anymore, is it?) we're not looking at classic songwriting (Gang Bang? Really?)

But it doesn't matter if these new songs aren't the best songs of her career, because we've 11 previous albums to pick from. There's no shame in trading on past glories if no one else's current glory comes close.

It seems ludicrous and unfair to Gaga that we even began to consider her worthy of pop royalty so soon. She's achieved an awful lot in a very short amount of time, but let's give it 30 years before we see if Madonna needs to abdicate.

And no, as we're tired of reading in the comments sections of websites, Madonna didn't sing live for the majority of the performance, but then you can't be spun upside your head by impossibly elastic dancers and still hold a note immediately afterwards.

It's one or the other.

And if you think that singing live is more important than being spun upside your head by impossibly elastic dancers, on a night like that, then you don't understand pop at all.

However, for those of you who still think singing is a competitive sport, her rendition of Like A Prayer was all her own live voice and it was faultless.

08 February 2012

Madonna fumes over MIA's middle finger

Madonna is reportedly furious with rapper MIA for giving the finger at their Super Bowl performance.

The Paper Planes singer joined Madonna on stage as a guest vocalist at Monday's game but shocked viewers when she stuck up her middle finger whilst singing the line: "I don't give a s**t," from Madonna's new track Give Me All Your Luvin'.

As the incident continues to grab headlines across the world, Madonna, 53, is said to be far from pleased, feeling it has detracted from their performance.

08 February 2012

Tour stage will bring Madonna closer to fans

It has been a busy few days for the Queen of Pop with a knockout performance at the Super Bowl half-time show and the release of a new single, Give Me All Your Luvin'. But now she will focus on Israel, where she will perform on May 29.

Details of Madonna's eagerly awaited show in Ramat Gan to kick off her 2012 World Tour were released on Tuesday morning at a press conference at the city's National Stadium, where the concert will take place. The iconic singer will launch her world tour in support of her upcoming album MDNA (a pseudoblend of 'Madonna'), due to be released in late March.

A total of 30,000 tickets will be available at prices ranging from NIS 240 to NIS 490, local producer Shuki Weiss revealed.

Weiss was quick to point out that tickets for the show are much cheaper than the last time Madonna performed in Israel at the end of her Sticky & Sweet tour on September 1 and 2, 2009, when the cheapest seats were NIS 490.

According to Billboard magazine, that tour grossed $408 million, the highest ever for a solo artist and third-highest of all time.

The songstress will perform on a stage designed for her 2012 tour that will be packed up after the Ramat Gan show and taken to the 50 other cities around the world, starting with Abu Dhabi and Istanbul, and continuing on to Europe and North America. The set will include a satellite stage that will protrude 40 meters out into the center of the field where fans will be able to get up close and personal with the pop singer.

The stage will be six stories high so that even fans sitting far away will be able to see Madonna, Weiss explained.

“Fans can expect to see some of the most state-of-the art sound, lighting and stage production,” he said.

The Material Girl will arrive in Israel two weeks before the concert, accompanied by an entourage of more than 300 people, to carry out intensive lastminute rehearsals. While she will visit certain sites and take advantage of being in Israel, Weiss explained that Madonna is taking the show seriously and plans to spend most of her time preparing for the big event.

"It isn't even a regular visit anymore when she comes," the local producer said. "It's as if she is the process of making aliya."

Hundreds of foreign journalists will travel to Israel to see the Madonna kick off her world tour and will follow her every step of the way.

Even Madonna's world tour could not escape the media frenzy surrounding a possible strike on Iran.

When asked by a journalist how a attack on the Islamic Republic and its consequences would affect the show, Weiss put everyone's mind at ease: "We live in this county and life goes on. I hope there are no surprises!" he said.

A number of travel companies will offer special packages for tourists who want to enjoy the event and a vacation in Israel.

While regular tickets are relatively cheap, VIP packages range from NIS 1,500 to NIS 2,900, which will include premium seats, exclusive merchandise and more.

Lifetime Legacy members of Madonna's official fan club, Icon, will receive first access to tickets and VIP packages starting on Tuesday.

In Israel, tickets will go on sale on Friday, February 10, and will be available via the Castel ticket agency .

08 February 2012

Madonna Super Bowl gig a 'no-brainer' for Cee Lo

When Madonna calls, you answer.

The Queen of Pop rang up Cee Lo Green several months back about performing Like A Prayer during the Super Bowl halftime show , and he didn't give it a second thought.

"I was asked — cordially invited — by Madonna to be a part of it and, of course, very eagerly obliged. So it was basically as simple as that," he told MTV News late Monday about the eye-catching gig, which included a dazzling light show, loads of dancers and fellow guests LMFAO, Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.

"It was kind of like a no-brainer. Working with Madonna is a very simple process," he added. "She's a very hard worker, quite the perfectionist, and we worked awfully hard for that entire 12-minute performance to be as close to perfection as possible."

With 100 million-plus viewers tuning in to the game and halftime show , it was no doubt the biggest audience Cee Lo and company had ever performed in front of. But everyone was so ready for anything that there was very little room for error or time to be nervous, Cee Lo told us.

"In our line of business and at this point of my career, I think I'm as prepared as you can be," he said. "I'm most certainly poised to be in that place, in this place. It's where we rehearsed, so well in advance, that it becomes a second nature."

Cee Lo cited the professionalism of Madge and the entire crew for the performance going off without a hitch. "The technicalities of it are just amazing," he said. "[It was] such a large crew that really helped. Without their tenacity and their know-how, it could not be done. It would be impossible. So I must commend the entire crew. Technically it takes an entire team to make something like that a success."

Fashion also played a big part in the performance. While Madonna was sporting looks by Givenchy, Cee Lo's black, sequined choir robe was a design all his own.

"They tease and they call me 'Reverend Green' and 'Preacher Green,' so I had a couple of those robes made just for fun," he explained. "I mean, you know me, I'm still the same, you know, known for my sense of style, so on and so forth. And when the nature of the performance was discussed and they were saying, 'We're gonna do "Like a Prayer" and everyone will be in robes,' and they were looking for my measurements to see if they were going to have to make me one, and I was like, 'What do you mean? I have my own already!' So she was pretty touched by that. I brought a lot of myself."

07 February 2012

Madonna sets 2012 world tour dates

FFresh of her halftime performance at Super Bowl XLVI (which was viewed by a record 114 million people) comes details of the Madonna 2012 World Tour. The trek will begin May 29 in Tel Aviv, Israel, and will be her most extensive tour ever in terms of number of dates, according to Arthur Fogel, CEO of Live Nation Global Touring, worldwide producers of the tour. The tour will take Madonna to Austrialia for the first time in 20 years, as well as many markets she has never played before.

This will be Madonna's fifth tour with Fogel and Live Nation, and second under her long-term multi-rights deal with the promoter. Her last tour, 2008-2009's Sticky & Sweet, grossed $408 million according to Billboard Boxscore, the highest ever for a solo artist and third-highest of all time. Prior to that, Madonna's 2006 Confessions Tour grossed $194 million, according to Boxscore, then the highest ever for a female artist.

The 2012 tour will follow the release of Madonna's new album MDNA, due March 26 on Live Nation Entertainment/ Interscope Records, which creates myriad cross-promotional opportunities, according to Fogel. Having the recording and touring (not to mention merchandising and other rights) under one umbrella "gives you the freedom to line up all the different elements to sell tickets and to sell records," he says. "It's as great a set-up as you could have. If this doesn't work, I'm going into plumbing."

The tour will play arenas, stadiums and unique outdoor sights, including the Plains of Abraham in Quebec. Fogel tells Billboard.com that production for the tour is in the conceptual stages, but did say, "it will be big and can get bigger," depending on the venue.

The tour will play 26 European markets, including London, Paris, Milan and Berlin, before hitting North American shores beginning Aug. 28 in Philadelphia. Twenty-six shows are planned for North America, including a Sept. 6 show at New York's Yankee Stadium, and an Oct. l0 performance at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale beginning Feb. 10 in Tel Aviv and the U.K., with North American tickets going on sale beginning Feb. 13. Tickets for North America are available at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.

Madonna will play North America until just before Thanksgiving, then head to Latin America to tour until the holidays, then wrap the tour in Australia in early 2013, Fogel says. The entire tour will end up with close to 90 shows, which would be the most ever for Madonna; Sticky & Sweet ended up with 85 dates.

When all is said and done, the upcoming tour will be one of the highest-grossing treks in history, potentially giving her two tours in the top five all time. Fogel says ticket scaling will be "almost identical" to Sticky & Sweet, though venue capacities will vary.

While there are "certain variables" that come with routing a Madonna tour, Fogel says planning begins with the amount of time the artist makes available for touring and then producers using that time to maximum effect. "There's basically an established window and we need to fit into that window whatever we can that makes sense logistically," he says. "Of the shows we're doing, I'd say 25%-30% will be markets she's never played before. There's still a few left. We'll get to these markets where she's never been, some exciting new places, and get back to Australia after too long a time."

While Madonna's first headlining tour was in 1985, the upcoming run will only be her ninth. Sticky & Sweet was a monster by any measure, and included some blockbuster dates in a wide range of territories, 32 countries in all. Madonna sold 650,000 tickets in South America, 72,000 tickets at Zurich's Dübendorf Airfield -- the largest attended concert ever in Switzerland -- 75,000 tickets in London, and four sellouts at New York's Madison Square Garden that sold 60,364 tickets. That tour wrapped where the next one begins, Tel Aviv.

As a touring artist, Madonna is relatively "fresh" compared to some artists with similar career longevity. "When I started working with her on the 2001 tour, she hadn't toured since the early '90s," Fogel points out. "The last tour was her biggest tour ever, it propelled her into the top-grossing tours of all time and was the top tour ever by a solo artist, and that was 25 years into her career. Whatever there is to be said, the facts speak for themselves: she's never been bigger, and she's a great performer with a great catalog and a great new record. She's one of those iconic legends at the top of her game."

Over the past decade, Madonna tours have moved into that elite status of the "event" tour, where the tour itself becomes a cultural touch point. And while there are other acts that are hugely popular on a global scale (Fogel works with a couple of them, including U2 and Lady Gaga) a Madonna tour remains a unique animal in terms of striking a chord with a passionate fan base and generating media coverage. "There are people out there who always want to set it up as her against other artists that have emerged, but the truth is they're all unique and great and have their space in the hearts and minds of fans," Fogel says. "I don't even think about that stuff, it's irrelevant."

In addition to her Super Bowl performance, the last week also saw the release of Madonna's new single, Give Me All Your Luvin'. According to today's announcement, pre-orders for MDNA have already catapulted the record to No. 1 on iTunes in 51 countries, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Canada, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands.

U.S. residents ordering tickets online to a U.S. performance will receive their choice of a digital or physical copy of Madonna's new MDNA album with every ticket purchased. Citi is the official credit card of U.S. leg of the tour, and Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Feb. 8 through Citi's Private Pass Program.

Lifetime Legacy members of Icon, Madonna's official fan club, will receive first access to tickets and VIP Packages starting today. Registered free Icon members will have the opportunity to purchase an Icon Live Pass, which gives them access to ticket and VIP Package pre-sales. Fans can sign up for a free Icon membership at Madonna.com today.

VIP Packages will are available through VIP Nation, including premium seats, exclusive merchandise and more. For more information please visit: www.VIPNation.com

Viagogo, Europe's leading secondary ticketing company (www.viagogo.co.uk), has been named as the Official Premium and Secondary Ticketing Partner for Madonna's 2012 summer tour dates across Europe.

06 February 2012

Super Bowl XLVI is MOST-WATCHED TV SHOW IN US HISTORY !

47.0 Household Rating is Best in 26 Years, Since 48.3 for Super Bowl XX

40.5 Adult 18-49 Rating is Best for a Super Bowl in 16 Years

14% Higher Than Last Giants-Patriots Super Bowl in 2008

12% Higher Than Last NBC Super Bowl in 2009

7th Straight Year Super Bowl Audience Increases

INDIANAPOLIS – Feb. 6, 2012 – Super Bowl XLVI is the most-watched television program in U.S. history and the highest-rated Super Bowl in 26 years, according to fast national data released today by The Nielsen Company.

The game, in which the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots, 21-17, was seen by a record 111.3 million viewers (6:31-9:58 p.m. ET), topping last year's 111.0 for Super Bowl XLV on Fox and is the biggest audience to watch a television program in U.S. history.

HIGHEST-RATED Super Bowl IN 26 YEARS: The game earned a 47.0; rating and a 71 share, a gain of two percent from last year's 46.0/69 for Super Bowl XLV and is the highest-rated Super Bowl since 1983 (Bears-Patriots, Super Bowl XX, 48.3/70). The 47.0 rating is the 6th highest in Super Bowl history.

06 February 2012

Madonna's Luvin' makes super start at radio

Madonna's new single, Give Me All Your Luvin', which she performed at the halftime festivities of last night's (Feb. 5) Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, blasts onto multiple radio format charts.

Aided by Clear Channel's promotion of the song - participating pop stations in the chain played it at the top of every hour from Friday at 9 a.m. ET until the game's kickoff last night - Luvin', featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., soars onto Billboard's Nielsen BDS-based Pop Songs chart at No. 24 as the format's Greatest Gainer (2,766 opening-week plays).

After less than three days of availability, the song registered airplay on 125 of the chart's 141 reporters. (The chart's seven-day tracking period closed, per usual, at midnight ET last night).

Notably, plays on Clear Channel stations accounted for 79% of the song's first-week airplay at the format overall (2,196 of 2,766 total plays). That percentage contrasts sharply with the company's 34% share of stations that report to the chart (48 of 141). (The new No. 1 song on the ranking, for instance, Flo Rida's "Good Feeling," logged 11,879 plays; a more proportional 40% of that total stems from Clear Channel stations).

Luvin' isn't the first occurrence of Clear Channel flexing its considerable muscle to bring new music to its listeners. On the Nov. 26, 2011, chart, Rihanna's "You Da One" stormed in at No. 26 with 2,133 first-week plays after the chain's pop stations similarly premiered it. (The Spanish Broadcasting System also recently highlighted Gloria Estefan's "Hotel Nacional," with significant airplay on the company's stations having helped spur the track's No. 1 bow on Latin Songs).

In perhaps a gauge of pop airplay next week for Luvin', Rihanna's "One" fell by 24% in airplay - and from No. 26 to No. 30 on Pop Songs - in its second week without the assistance of Clear Channel's promotion. Still, the song eventually rebounded, rising as high as No. 19 last week.

A lofty Pop Songs launch has become the norm for Madonna, who tallies her seventh top-25 debut, the most since the survey premiered the week of Oct. 3, 1992. 4 Minutes (featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland), the first single from her last album, Hard Candy, also arrived at No. 24 the week of April 5, 2008.

The week of March 7, 1998, Frozen, the lead single from Madonna's album Ray Of Light, scorched the chart at No. 16. To-date, the arrival remains one of the four highest in the chart's history.

Along with its impressive radio kickoff, Luvin' appears in line for a heady retail opening. As of this posting, the song shows at No. 2 on the iTunes Store's songs ranking, potentially setting up a strong debut on this week's Billboard Hot 100 chart (which measures airplay, sales and streaming).

Highlights of the Hot 100, on which Madonna will make her 56th career visit withLuvin', will be released Wednesday (Feb. 8) on Billboard.com.

06 February 2012

Super Bowl costumes designed by Givenchy

The House of Givenchy is pleased to announce that Riccardo Tisci designed all costumes worn by Madonna during her half time performance at the Superbowl on February 5th, 2012 in Indianapolis .

Performing at the Superbowl for the first time, Madonna has chosen Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci for her unique performance.

Designed as part of the spectacle, all costumes were changed on stage, from an all over hand-embroidered gold cape that served as the performance's opener, to the unveiling of a black mini dress worn with its hand-studded belt and an embellished black coat that completed the three costumes set: Madonna's legendary music met Riccardo Tisci 's codes in what seemed to be the most perfect way.

Channeling Riccardo Tisci's work for Givenchy in the past years, the designs for Madonna's Superbowl performance incorporate signature references such as bold leopard print, three-dimensional embellishments, graphic placements and evocative cuts.

Following my collaboration with Madonna on her last tour three years ago, it is a great honor for me to be a part of yet another historical and iconic moment.

People say everything has a limit, but limits do not exist with Madonna.

I am so happy that, after being busy in other scenes, she decided to go back on a music stage. Not only to bring us Music, but also to make such a statement of Performance and Fashion.

Wearing Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci , Madonna performed a 12 minutes set including some of her greatest hits (Vogue, Music, Express Yourself) and her brand new single (Give Me All Your Luvin' featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.) for the first time.

DESCRIPTIONS

Gold cape all over hand-embroidered with gold metal cut out pieces, studs, crystals, sequins and paillettes, lined in leopard-print chiffon.

Black mini dress in silk cady, worn with leopard print short cape in silk charmeuse hand-embroidered with gold metal cut out pieces, studs, crystals, sequins and paillettes and a black python hand-studded and hand-embroidered belt with its removable matching flaps.

06 February 2012

Super Bowl : Madonna gives 'shot of brass'

Madonna gave "a shot of female brass" to the Super Bowl with her 12-minute half-time show, reviewers have said.

Entertainment Weekly said the pop star was "a bright delight", "plugging her product with such gleeful abandon".

The Los Angeles Times said her show was "arguably more outrageous than the notorious Jackson nipple shot" of 2004.

But the New York Times argued she had taken "a downright benign stance" compared with more shocking Madonna performances of years gone by.

The 53-year-old's half-time performance at the Lucas Oil Stadium, in Indianapolis, included hits Vogue, Music, Open Your Heart, Express Yourself and Like a Prayer as well as new song Give Me All Your Luvin', from new album MDNA, due out next month.

She entered the stadium on a chariot, led by dozens of Roman gladiators, wearing a black and gold costume topped with an elaborate crown.

Marching bands, tightrope acrobats, gladiators and choirs - as well as guest stars M.I.A, Nicki Minaj, Cee Lo Green and LMFAO - were among the cast in the spectacular show, watched by more than 100 million TV viewers in the US.

Censors have paid special attention to the half-time entertainment ever since the 2004 Super Bowl performance in Houston, Texas, when Justin Timberlake famously exposed Janet Jackson's breast during a duet.

The only controversial moment this year came when British singer M.I.A. was seen gesturing with her middle finger.

Broadcaster NBC later apologised for the "inappropriate" and "spontaneous gesture".

"It's impossible to guess what the Madonna of decades past, fascinated with lust, power, religion and transgression, might have done with this platform."

It said that, while the star was "still lithe, she measured her moves, letting her supporting cast offer distractions".

USA Today's Elysa Gardner, meanwhile, described Madonna as "stylish but hardly provocative in tailored tops and skirts that showed off her yoga-toned gams" saying she had delivered flourishes "with a winking sense of humour".

And she suggested that, if the singer "moved a little less nimbly than usual, it might have had to do with a reported pulled hamstring - or gravity-defying heels".

06 February 2012

No Longer an Upset: Madonna Acts Her Age

The bad girl is a grown-up now, like it or not. Madonna , 53, danced her way back toward worldwide visibility Sunday as the halftime attraction for the Super Bowl , with a giant supporting cast — gladiators, acrobats, cheerleaders, drummers, a gospel choir — and a downright benign stance.

She sang about dancing, music, loving and praying, with a little star power on the side. It's impossible to guess what the Madonna of decades past, fascinated with lust, power, religion and transgression, might have done with this platform. But it's probably not something the Super Bowl would have booked in the first place.

Madonna has a new album, MDNA, coming out next month, her first since Hard Candy in 2008. (In 2007, she signed a 10-year partnership with Live Nation reportedly worth $120 million.) A football-themed video clip for her new single, Give Me All Your Luvin', came out Friday, and the song started blasting across the Clear Channel empire of radio stations and billboards worldwide. More than 14 million people were exposed to the song even before the Super Bowl .

For the worldwide audience of her halftime show, Madonna went all out on spectacle; at the Super Bowl , anything less would be dwarfed. She arrived on the field to sing Vogue as a gold-robed queen with a platoon of gladiators, dancing on a giant throne and doing precise, right-angle moves amid acrobats from Cirque du Soleil. Music brought her to the top of a bleacher-like set surrounded by more acrobatics; soon, she was assisted in cartwheels that had her head-over-heels. The pop duo LMFAO joined her, interspersing their 2011 hit “Party Rock Anthem” and giving Madonna a chance to deliver the line “I'm sexy and I know it” from another LMFAO song.

As a chorus line of cheerleaders filled the stage, Madonna grabbed golden pompoms for Give Me All Your Luvin', which has a handclapping beat reminiscent of Toni Basil's 1982 “Mickey.” It's a heavy-handedly self-promoting song — “L-U-V Madonna, Y-O-U you wanna” — that's second-tier Madonna at best. Guest raps by Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. didn't make the song's retro-rock any fresher. But M.I.A. offered the Super Bowl set's glimmer of transgression: Her verse included half of a four-letter word while she raised her middle finger.

The drum corps appeared, with the singer Cee Lo Green, to back Madonna and Green for snippets of her Open Your Heart and Express Yourself. Then came the reverence in Like A Prayer, a song that has shed any hint of double-entendre it might have had when it was released in 1989. A black-and-white-robed choir joined Green and Madonna, who had gotten herself into a long dress. The stadium flickered with white lights, Green belted like a soul-gospel singer and Madonna beamed, on and off her knees, until she disappeared in a blast of smoke, singing, “I hear you call my name and it feels like home.”

Madonna wasn't the indefatigable trouper of years past. Though she's still lithe, she measured her moves, letting her supporting cast offer distractions. As she climbed into the bleachers during Music, she missed a step, though she recovered fast. At the Super Bowl , Madonna was the party girl turned regent: a queen on her throne, a homecoming queen strutting in the bleachers, a church singer fronting a choir. At the end, the words World Peace glowed from the field in giant letters. Madonna was proffering virtue.

06 February 2012

Madonna dazzles with slick Super Bowl halftime show

Pop superstar Madonna dazzled football fans and more than 100 million television viewers on Sunday when she performed during a glittery, spectacular Super Bowl halftime show.

Madonna, the first female Super Bowl halftime headliner since the notorious Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction" of 2004, was carried, Cleopatra-style, into Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium by a cadre of muscled gladiators.

Wearing Egyptian regalia, complete with headdress, and spiked black boots, the pop superstar launched into her seminal hit Vogue, with lighting and other visual effects contributed by the Canadian performing troupe Cirque du Soleil.

Next came Music, which included LMFAO, followed by a cheerleader-themed Give Me All Your Luvin', from Madonna's latest CD. Madonna was joined by Nicky Minaj and M.I.A., with the latter preferring a fleeting obscene one-fingered gesture on-camera.

In a nod to the sport whose fans she was entertaining, the Material Girl performed much of her act on, or in front of, bleachers, with high school marching bands and drumlines augmenting the show, which lasted about 10 minutes.

After a mini-medley of her hits Open Your Heart and Express Yourself, Madonna closed her act decked out in a Gospel-goth black gown, performing Like A Prayer with Cee Lo Green before dropping out of sight in a puff of smoke.

Madonna was not the only pop superstar to grace the high-profile Super Bowl on Sunday, one of U.S. television's most-watched programs: Kelly Clarkson performed the national anthem.

Last year's Super Bowl attracted 111 million U.S. viewers, the largest for a single TV broadcast in the United States.

The halftime show has increasingly featured high-profile pop acts, a far cry from the first Super Bowl in 1967 when college marching bands entertained the crowd.

Jackson's 2004 appearance made headlines worldwide with her infamous "wardrobe malfunction," during which fellow performer Justin Timberlake tugged at her costume, exposing her nipple to millions of TV viewers.

Madonna had promised that all efforts were being made to ensure her show would not be marked by a similar episode.

"Great attention to detail has been paid to my wardrobe. There will be no wardrobe malfunction - I promise," she said.

Madonna, who was born in Bay City, Michigan, told reporters last week her appearance was "a Midwesterner girl's dream, to be performing at the Super Bowl halftime show."

"In over 25 years of performing that I've done, I have never worked so hard or been so scrupulous or detail-oriented or freaked out as much as I have."

06 February 2012

It was a Madge of honor

At the biggest, most important performance Madonna has ever mounted, the Material Girl was loud and over the top in her 12-minute, too-much-is-just-enough spectacle — like the Super Bowl itself.

In other words, she what comes naturally — found success in excess.

Anybody who tuned in to hear how a pop star — old enough to have mothered all of the players — stumble would have been sadly disappointed. Over the course of her set, she romped like a Roman surrounded by a phalanx of gladiators for the oldie Vogue, she discovered her inner pompon-shaking cheerleader for the tunes Music and Give Me All Your Luvin' and ultimately found religion in a stunning, gospel-soaked version of Like A Prayer.

Madonna, 53, was surprisingly spry, considering that she accidentally got smacked on the schnoz during rehearsals last week and that she's been plagued by a hamstring injury that nearly placed her on the disabled list. That injury surfaced at the start of the song Music, when she faltered stepping onto a bleacher-style seat.

While Madonna was never the greatest pop dancer, at halftime, despite the injury, she held her own, moving and grooving with M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj, who reprised their rap vocals in Give Me All Your Luvin', the single off the upcoming record MDNA. That tune featured the set's only off-color moment when naughty M.I.A. rapped, “I don't give a s--t,” while flipping the bird to a national audience as the censors were slow on the blip button.

Less risqué were guest appearances by the LMFAO duo, who did a snippet of their hit “Party Rock Anthem,” and Cee Lo Green, who helped Madonna with her gospel cred. No wardrobe malfunctions, just an exuberance to the gig that no doubt stemmed from the sheer size of the audience. For Madonna, the international exposure was like a dip in the fountain of youth.

She looked good and sounded good — which probably surprised Elton John, who's been bad-mouthing Madonna over the past few weeks in an ongoing catfight. Seems the gap-toothed-queen of England has insisted the gap-toothed-queen of pop would lip-sync her way through this performance.

While nobody but the sound man knows for sure, it sounded as if the performance had enough grit to be organic. The only real complaint was that, as always, there was an excess of everything except stage time. The brevity of the format is a mid-winter musical tease, whether it's by Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, The Who or Tom Petty.

But in the end, it seems we couldn't keep Madonna on stage a second more without collapsing the national economy. When you do the math, razzle-dazzle has a price. A 30-second commercial slot costs $3.5 million, and on that scale, Madonna's stage time was worth $84 million. Nobody's that good, not even the Material Girl.

Before the coin toss, country stars Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert twanged a powerful but simple guitar-and-voice take on “America The Beautiful.” Then, Kelly Clarkson, aided by a children's choir, added her vocal acrobatics to a pop cover of “The National Anthem.”

Unlike Christina Aguilera, who fumbled the words last year in a version that become known as the “Star Mangled Banner,” Clarkson nailed it in a rousing cover. The first and most famous Grammy-winning American Idol easily hit the notes with passion and recalled all the words, doing Francis Scott Key, as well as Simon Cowell, proud.

06 February 2012

Madonna in Belgium on July 12?

According to Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, Madonna will perform in the Koning Boudewijnstadion in Brussels on July 12th. Tour dates would be announced tomorrow, with ticket sales for the European leg following at the end of this week. Ticket prices would go up to 150 EUR.

05 February 2012

First reactions

A hot mix of emotions flooded Twitter as Madonna took the stage to perform the halftime show at Super Bowl XLVI.

According to an analysis by Kanjoya, a San Francisco company that uses a computer algorithm to detect emotion in social media posts, differing opinions dominated Twitter.

Among the most commonly used words in posts about Madonna were "amazing," "great," "good," "best," "bad" and "hating."

Many writers quickly started snarking, poking fun and adopting a mocking tone. They frequently used words like "old," "seriously" and "retire." Madonna's fans took to the Web to defend her from abuse. Among their angry tweets, "shut up" was one of the most commonly used phrases.

Whether they loved her or hated her, Twitter writers were unified by one thing: Fascination with Madonna's age. According to Twitter, one of most used phrases right now is, "Madonna is 53."

There was a lot of speculation regarding Madonna's Super Bowl performance on whether it was going to be good, bad or just okay. She proved to everybody that she still has it.

Madonna's Super Bowl performance was the best in years according to some people. Your humble reporter here was hugely impressed as well to find that Madonna still has it. The message of World Peace at the end was kind of cheesy, but it worked well within her show.

All the speculation of guests and songs were mostly spot on. The appearance from LMFAO was especially enjoyable.

Madonna brought down the Lucas Oil Stadium at the Super Bowl halftime show 2012, reclaiming her throne as Queen of Pop.

Madonna performed in only the way a queen would - coming out on a throne, carried by a crew of ripped, muscular minions. She then sang her way into Vogue. Though she started off a bit slow, the 53-year-old veteran showed off her real moves when Music started. She did back flips and yoga poses.

She then climbed onto the shoulders of LMFAO and sang "I'm sexy and I know it."

Madonna was joined by Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. for a rendition of her latest single Give Me All Your Luvin'. She finished the show with Cee-Lo Green on Like A Prayer, in a duet backed by a choir. Madonna was dressed in a glittering black choir gown and sang like it was her last performance.

05 February 2012

Queen Madonna shines at Super Bowl

Madonna impressed an audience of nearly 100 million Super Bowl viewers with a stunning Halftime performance.

The show started as a legion of gladiators marched onto the field. Dressed as a empress, Madonna appeared on a huge golden throne (with the letters MDNA sprayed on it) behind enormous feathers on the tones of Vogue. A dozen dancers, one dressed as an angel playing the harp, followed her in a perfectly synchronised dance routine. The tiles of the stage showed M on the cover of Vogue magazine.

The lyrics 'Let your body move to the music' flowed into Music, with Madonna doing acrobats with a 4 dancers in white jumpsuit (was that Brahim among them?). She then plays with another flying angel before meeting up with her pals of LMFAO. The crowd goes crazy as Music is combined with their hit songs Party Rock and Sexy And I Know It and Madonna starts shuffling with the guys. Madonna finishes off with "I'm sexy and I know it".

And then it's time for the first ever stage performance of Give Me All Your Luvin'! Madonna is joined by her girls Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. and another two dozen cheerleaders, all dancing with golden pompons. The stage tiles spell out L-U-V and Y-O-U.

For a moment, a drum band and Cee Lo Green remind us of the Re-Invention Tour performance of Into The Groove. Madonna and Cee Lo sing some lines of Open Your Heart and Express Yourself, before a large choir sets in Like A Prayer. Madonna changes costume again and gives a breath-taking performance of her 1989 hit. Cee Lo Green takes the bridge vocals for his account. Madonna then finishes off with... the first verse of the song! With the line 'And it feels like... home' she disappears into the smoking stage. The only lights in the darkness now spell out 'world peace'.

05 February 2012

Give Me All Your Luvin' Video: Review Revue

When Madonna drops a new video, people are going to talk about it — it's a law of pop nature, folks. And there certainly is a lot to discuss in the MDNA singer's Give Me All Your Luvin' video: Golden rain! Trick photography! Triple Marilyns! (Or are those Triple Madonnas during her Marilyn era?) Though no one is naming this one of Madge's best videos (the woman has so many good ones, where would we even begin to name the best?), the reactions are far more along the lines of "touchdown" than "fumble". Okay, enough sports euphemisms — head below to read what the web thinks of Madonna's latest campy clip.

Spin recognizes that high-profile guests and a football theme can't distract anyone from the real star: "Her attempt to find a bridge between sports, love, and fame falls a bit flat… but in the end, the football players and cheerleaders in the video are all literally faceless passersby. They, like the two high-profile MCs, are all here in service of the Queen of Pop — they are shouting ‘M, A, D, Madonna" and taking bullets for her, after all."

Rolling Stone keeps it simple in their write-up: "It's a goofy and fun clip, though the faceless cheerleaders in the background are more creepy than amusing."

Chart Rigger sees more meaning in those anonymous pom pom girls: "What seems to be just below the surface is a big F-U to all the pop hoes who have tried to snatch away Madonna's crown without giving proper credit. Those faceless cheerleaders in the background? That's you, Gaga, Ke$ha, Jessie J, etc. ‘Maybe you'll do fine as long as you don't lie to me, and pretend to be what you're not.'"

MTV Buzzworthy discovers a hidden metaphor with the football concept, too: "‘Give Me All Your Luvin" harks back to the sound that made Madonna stick — solid bubblegum pop with a healthy dose of camp and fun. And while we're sure the football theme might have something to do with that little halftime show she's planning at the Super Bowl this weekend, it also speaks to a larger idea: Madonna's never been the cute and innocent homecoming queen, but those wholesome, all-American football players still wanna kick it with her."

PopDust centers in on Madge's cheer squad: "Each featured performer delivers her lines as you might expect: Nicki employs heavy physical accessories, bending and stretching facial muscles while leaving her derriere available for momentary gawking; M.I.A. slouches back in a chair to rattle off what"s on her mind, seemingly so relaxed you'd dare not to interrupt her."

Vulture notes some of the more bizarre elements of the clip: "Because Madonna is Madonna, there is still some attempted weirdness tucked into the corners of this video — like, say, the babydoll nursing, or the cracked-out, triple-Marilyns dream sequence. At one point, the football players start taking bullets for Madonna, because that is the natural order of things: Madonna > sports, and everything else."

Arjan Writes sees the brains behind the vid: "After building a reputation for being controversial and pushing the envelope once in a while, it's surprising to see that Madonna decided to let the aesthetic of this video be guided by a mainstream, All-American sporting event. But then again, she's a savvy businesswoman and with the eyes of all of America on her half-time performance this Sunday, it only makes sense to fully leverage that opportunity to promote this new single."

And finally, The Wall Street Journal champions the singer for still lookin' bangin' after all these years: "First off, the 53-year-old pop star appears to be in better shape than many college students, which is crazy. She also gets points for picking two of the coolest collaborators around–M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj–and getting them to literally serve as cheerleaders for the Madonna brand."

Millions of people who tune in to the Super Bowl will not be watching for the football, but rather for the commercials and the halftime show.

For those who are looking to skip to Madonna's halftime performance, make sure to be around the television between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. EST. (Or between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. CST; 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. MST; 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. PST; 1:30 and 2:30 a.m. CET)

With the game starting at 6:29 p.m. EST, and each quarter lasting between 30 and 60 minutes, Madonna may take the stage as early as 7:30 p.m. EST, and as late as 8:30 p.m. EST.

More than likely, Madonna will go on stage at about 8:00 p.m. EST. She will be performing at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis with multiple guests, including Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.

On Jan. 30, Madonna went on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and announced the performance would run 12 minutes -- the staging will require eight minutes to be set up and seven minutes to be taken down.

The Material Girl described the event as "the most nerve-racking thing" she has ever done.

04 February 2012

'Girls Gone Wild's' Joe Francis sends legal threat to Madonna

Rather than reveling in what could have been free publicity on the world's largest stage, "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis is sending threats to halftime performer Madonna.

In a Cease and Desist letter sent to Madge, NBCUniversal and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, obtained by TMZ, Francis' legal team demands that the queen of pop refrain from performing her new song "Girls Gone Wild" at this Sunday's Super Bowl .

"Your misappropriation of my clients' trademark will not be tolerated," threatens the letter, though Francis is apparently willing to cut a deal for the right price.

The song appears on the track list for Madonna's upcoming album, MDNA, though Francis may have ruffled his feathers a bit prematurely. According to a leaked set list courtesy of NFL magazine, Madge wasn't planning to play the song at all during her performance. Viewers can, however, expect to hear her latest single, Give Me All Your Luvin', as well as Ray of Light and, of course, Vogue.

According to TMZ's original report, Francis had required a response from the singer by 5 p.m. PT on Friday, Feb. 3. At the time of publication, any potential response had not yet been made public.

When Madonna's Give Me All Your Luvin' fell victim to a widely publicized leak in November, this reviewer's main reaction was, "that's it?" Sure, the track had many elements of the song types currently dominating the radio -- peppy production, a cheerleader chant straight out of "Hollaback Girl," an easy-to-remember chorus -- but it felt like something was missing. When Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. were confirmed to appear on the finalized track, the assumed missing piece was "guest raps," but now that Give Me All Your Luvin' is out in full, very little has changed. What the raps add, if anything, is a temporary distraction from the tedious proceedings: Minaj spits her guest verse so quickly, the listener barely has time to register lines like "I'm Roman / I'm a barbarian / I'm Conan" before she's off the track. Ditto M.I.A., who appears just long enough to drop a few scientific adjectives ("supersonic / bionic / uranium") before effectively dropping the mic with, "I'ma say this once -- yeah, I don't give a shit." It amounts to a subpar effort from all parties, particularly Madonna, who hasn't sounded this robotic since the more tweaked-out moments on her last album, Hard Candy. Here's hoping her other collaborations with Solveig, as well as longtime collaborator William Orbit, produce better dance-pop results when new album MDNA comes out March 26.

02 February 2012

Madonna on Super Bowl press conference

Some highlights from Madonna's appearance on the Super Bowl press conference:

She dedicates the show to her father, because the show represents the traditional Mid-western values that he taught her.She doesn't want to give away much details about the performance but promises to sing 3 old songs and 1 new song.She promises there will not be any wardrobe malfunctions. When a reporter says he's only 23y old, she replies she has a love for 23y olds.At the end, she demonstrates some salsa moves

01 February 2012

Truth or Dare Blu-Ray out on April 3rd

Lionsgate is proud to present Madonna: Truth or Dare, available for the first time on Blu-ray Disc on April 3rd, 2012.

Madonna: Truth or Dare Blu-ray Disc
Go backstage and under the covers with the musical and pop culture icon, Madonna, as Lionsgate debuts Miramax's Madonna: Truth or Dare on Blu-ray Disc this April. See the Queen of Pop as never before - singer, dancer, sex goddess, businesswoman and den mother - in an up close and personal documentary chronicling Madonna's 1990 Blond Ambition Tour. Presented for the first time with a stunning new 1080P High Definition transfer and 5.1 DTS Master Audio, Madonna: Truth or Dare, including the original theatrical trailer, premieres on Blu-ray Disc on April 3rd, just as Madonna makes her way back into the spotlight. With a Super Bowl half-time performance, a new album, tour and the launch of her Truth or Dare lifestyle brand, 2012 is destined to be the year of Madge. Madonna: Truth or Dare will also be available on DVD for the suggested retail price of $9.98.

The top-selling female artist of all-time, Madonna has sold more than 300 million albums worldwide. Fresh off of her recent Golden Globe® win for Best Original Song for her directorial feature film, W.E., Madonna has also previously won a Golden Globe® for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Comedy/Musical) for her role as Eva Peron in Evita (1997), been named one of TIME's "25 Most Powerful Women in the Past Century" and garnered countless other accolades. But Madonna is so much more. Madonna: Truth or Dare explores the icon as an artist and a person, from her dressing room to her bedroom.
Pricing: Blu-ray Disc - $14.99